Only Her Hero
by animechick824
Summary: Carly finally wakes up, and Carly and Jax spend as much time with their daughter as possible - praying she'll make it through the night. Jason sets aside his own jealousy and pain to be there for his best friend. Carjax. Jarly.
1. January

Only Her Hero

Disclaimer: I do not own General Hospital. Carly and Jason are the property of ABC and Disney.

Summary: After ten years of waiting for him, Carly finally settles for him as only her hero. So when Jason changes his mind, will it be too late for her to give their love a chance? Carjax. Jarly.

"Jason!" Carly shouted, bursting into his office uninvited and interrupting his work.

"Yes, Carly?" he replied, not bothering to look up from his papers.

"I don't know if I should tell you first, but I'm really excited, and Jax is in an important meeting. And I just…I just needed to tell someone. Right now," she was talking a mile a minute, all on one breathe, and giving Jason a headache. As he lifted a hand to rub his temples and lifted his eyes from his paperwork, Jason's heart plummeted at her next words…

"I'm pregnant!" she burst out excitedly.

Jason just sat there blankly for a second. How was it, almost ten years after…that night…the thought of her with any other man sometimes still made him want to kill somebody? Or maybe just crawl off to the boxcar with a gunshot wound to die as alone and miserable as he lived without her.

Jason guessed he waited too long to respond, because Carly's eyes began to fill with tears and she whispered, "Aren't you happy for me?"

Jason sighed.

"Of course I am," he partly lied. He was happy that she was happy, but he didn't want her having a child with Jax, or Sonny, or A.J., or any man that wasn't him. He still loved Carly's children as dearly as if they were his own, simply because they were hers, but it hurt that Michael and Morgan weren't his too.

And now there was yet another man that she would be permanently linked to. His brother, his supposed best friend, and now Jasper Jax. Jason knew that the infamous playboy and corporate shark would be turned into a guppy by a pregnant Carly.

She was so beautiful when she was pregnant. And men fell in love with her left and right. He had fallen in love with her when she was pregnant with Michael. Sonny had fallen in love with her when she was pregnant with the child she miscarried. And even Lorenzo Alcazar had fallen in love with her when she was pregnant with Morgan. A beautiful, hormonally pregnant Carly was an even more dangerous heartbreaker than normal. And that was saying a lot.

"…I have to plan a romantic night to tell him…" Carly had been talking for a while, but Jason really hadn't been paying attention. So caught up in his own thoughts, Jason only managed to nod at the appropriate times because he had so much previous practice. He usually tried to ignore her when she talked about other men, but he also pretended to be listening. Her feelings got hurt when he didn't pay attention to her; not to mention, Jason didn't want his best friend to know how much thoughts of her with another man hurt him.

"…I know Jax will be ecstatic. I'm still nervous though? What about Michael and Morgan? How will they feel about a little brother or sister? And I'll have to ask Sonny to watch them tonight. Oh! I have to tell him too, soon. As soon as I tell Jax. And Mama needs to know. And Lulu! And we'll have to start telling business associates and preparing for my maternal leave…" God, was she still talking about preparations?

There was a time Carly could see straight through his mask to all that he was feeling inside. Jason wasn't sure whether he had gotten better at hiding his feeling from her over the years, or whether she just didn't care enough to really look anymore. He definitely liked the former theory more.

"I fell in love with you when you were pregnant with Michael," Jason said nostalgically, almost whimsically. A man of few words and many thoughts, sometimes Jason wondered where his brain went when she entered the room.

"Oh…" Carly replied, finally falling silent.

"And I wasn't around you during most of your pregnancy with Morgan," Jason continued, purposefully neglecting to mention the baby that Carly lost with Sonny. It was still a sore subject for her.

Meanwhile, Carly just stared at him with large, liquid eyes.

"It's just…going to bring up memories. That's all," Jason finished lamely.

"I…Dr. Lee told me the baby is due in August!" Carly blurted in a blatant attempt to change the subject. A blatant attempt to ignore what Jason just said.

"Congratulations," Jason whispered, almost brokenly. "I'm sure Jax will be very happy."

"Jason," Carly said tentatively, "I love him! I'm in love with him! I waited years for you to give us a chance. When you gave me away at my wedding to Jax, I finally began to give up on there ever being an 'us'. But I still love you. I will always love you. You're my best friend. My hero!"

Jason smile slightly at that last part.

"I guess that will have to be enough, huh?" He tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

"I'm sorry, Jase," Carly replied. "I really am. We would have been great together. But that chance passed us by. And we're great together this way too. I'll always be on your side, you know that. You're the superhero. I'm the sidekick whose crazy plans sometimes turn her into the damsel in distress." Now she was talking like Spinelli.

"I love you," Jason told her. He meant in the forever kind of way. The kind of love country songs are written about and nations start wars over. The kind of love that scared him so much he ignored it for ten years in fear of getting hurt, and finally realized too late that it hurt more to watch his soulmate build her own forever with another man.

"I love you too," she replied. She meant in the forever kind of way. The kind of love country songs are written about and nations start wars over. The kind of love that persists ten years before you finally let go and settle for a best friend and savior instead of a soulmate because it hurts too damn much holding onto a dream you know will never come true.

A dream of a little blonde-haired blue-eyed angel of a daughter with the man that she knows she will love until her last breathe, no matter how hard she tries to convince herself and the whole world otherwise.

They shared another moment in silence, contemplating the greatest love that should have been.

Then Carly smiled awkwardly.

"Well, better let you get back to work. I still have to think of a way to tell Jax," she said lightly.

Jason just nodded and turned back to his paperwork, attempting to hide the tears he knew really had no right to be in his eyes. It was his own fault she gave up on him, on them. How many times did he think he would push her away, reject her dream of forever, before she finally gave up on them? He was lucky she still by his side as his best friend.

And he was bound and determined to make sure nothing ever took her any further away than she already was.

Carly put a hand on the doorknob, and then slightly turned back.

"If it's a boy, how about Jason?" she asked him.

"Jason Jax?" he questioned ironically. "I don't think Jax would be too happy about that."

"He'll deal," she told him seriously. "He'll give me anything I want to make me happy."

And Jason knew that was the truth; sometimes it was the only thing that got him through the night.

And as his best friend left the office to go tell her husband about their expected baby, he didn't tell her that he prayed it was a boy. Because Jason didn't think he could tolerate her living out their dream of a little blonde-haired blue-eyed angel with another man.


	2. August

Only Her Hero

Disclaimer: I do not own General Hospital. Carly and Jason are the property of ABC and Disney.

Summary: After ten years of waiting for him, Carly finally settles for him as only her hero. So when Jason changes his mind, will it be too late for her to give their love a chance? Carjax. Jarly.

Eight Months Later - August

"Jason!" Carly shouted, bursting into his office uninvited and interrupting his work.

"Yes, Carly?" he replied, looking up from his paperwork to his best friend. His beautiful, nine-month pregnant, baby-due-any-day best friend. She was glowing and round with the life she created with Jax.

"Jax had to go to Hawaii to check on the hotel!" she burst out crying.

Jason had gotten used to her pregnancy mood swings by now. Carly was emotional on a good day; throw a baby into the mix, and she became even more volatile than usual.

"I'm sorry," he told her sincerely. "Is there anything I can do?"

He couldn't believe that Jax would leave Carly alone so close to her due date. Her husband was so excited about the new baby that for the past eight months Jason had rarely seen them apart. He was afraid that Jax was going to suffocate Carly with his attention; she did love her independence.

"What if he's cheating on me with some beautiful, skinny, Hawaiian tramp?" Carly asked, still crying. Jason hated it when Carly cried, and he knew that he would do anything to make it better for her.

"Carly," Jason sighed, "Jax loves you, and he already loves this baby. He would never cheat on you. If he says it's business, it's business."

Jason always assured Carly when she became insecure. He of all people knew what trouble his best friend could get into when she was upset.

Carly started to calm down at Jason's words. She knew she was being irrational, but she couldn't seem to help it. Carly took a deep breath, counted to ten, and wiped the tear tracks from her face.

"You're the best," she told her best friend seriously. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"Probably plan yourself into a mess somewhere," Jason teased jokingly.

"Probably," Carly affirmed seriously. She knew how much Jason did for her, and she tried never to take it for granted. "And being upset doesn't help the baby. Dr. Lee says I should try to keep my stress down."

"Is everything alright?" Jason questioned her, concerned.

"Yea, everything's fine," she assured him. "Just, with my history, I have to be extra careful. My blood pressure is a little too high for her, but I'm trying to relax."

They both laughed at that. They both knew that Carly couldn't relax for anything. She always had to be doing something.

"Are you staying alone with the boys while Jax is away?" Jason asked her. He was worried, justifiably considering what happened the previous two times she went into labor.

"No," Carly replied. "Sonny is keeping the boys with him until the baby comes, and Mercedes went with them. With the whole stress thing, we agreed that it would be best if he took care of Michael and Morgan. I just need to concentrate on eating right and resting."

"Well, then what are you doing on your feet?" Jason asked her. He led her to sit down in the comfortable chair behind the desk.

"I was going to ask you if you would stay with me at the house. It would make me feel safer," Carly asked him seriously, looking at him with her beautiful baby blue eyes.

"Of course," Jason replied immediately. He hadn't gotten to spend nearly as much time as he wanted with her the past eight months. Jax hogged most of her time, but Jason tried not to resent his best friend's husband.

"Thanks," Carly answered back, not quite shocked. She had thought that she would have to convince him.

"It's nothing," he told her seriously. "I'd feel better if you weren't in that house all by yourself so close to your due date."

"Yea, look what happened last time you weren't there when I went into labor. I got shot in the head," Carly joked.

Jason didn't think it was funny.

"That never should have happened," Jason said. The thought of her in that coma after Morgan's birth still pained him. And the fact that her injury led to her marriage to Alcazar still haunted him.

"You can't be everywhere," Carly reminded him. He may be her hero, but he wasn't Superman.

"But I can be there when you need me," Jason said firmly.

"Well, I'm hoping that this little one's birth goes better than the previous two. I want to spend that first month with this little life I created, and all the months after that," Carly told him. She got a sad look in her eye whenever she thought about all the time she lost with Michael and Morgan when they were babies.

"I'll make sure of it, Carly," Jason assured her.

Carly smiled at her best friend. She trusted him wholeheartedly, but somewhere in the past ten years she learned that he wasn't god. Jason couldn't control everything, couldn't make everything better. And he shouldn't have to; Carly needed to learn to stand more on her own two feet.

"I'm planning on breastfeeding!" she told him excitedly, changing the subject. "It's something that I didn't get to do with the boys. Besides, they say its better for development, and it helps you lose the pregnancy weight faster!"

Jason laughed at that last part. That was Carly, constantly worried about her image and how other people saw her. Sometimes he had to bite his tongue, or he would tell her that she was the most beautiful woman in the world no matter what.

"Congratulations," Jason told Carly, shaking his head at her.

"Anyway, I'm going home now for a nap," she replied as she tried to struggle to her feet. Jason went over to her and helped her up, steadying Carly with a hand on her back and one on her arm.

"Take Max with you," he told her sternly. He honestly didn't want her only for a second this close to the baby's birth. With Carly's history…well, Jason did not want to take any chances.

"You need him to guard the door," Carly reminded him. Jason sighed at her, exasperated.

"Milo is taking over guard duty in…" Jason checked his watch, "…right now, actually. Max can take you to your house and stay with you until I get home."

When Jason saw that Carly was about to protest, he cut her off, "I'll pay him triple for overtime, okay?"

His best friend huffed. Jason tried to hide his smile, but sometimes Carly could be so cute when she was annoyed.

"I don't need a babysitter," she reminded him. "I'm a big girl now."

"I know, Carly. But it would make me feel better if someone was with you at all times. If you go into labor, I want somebody there to drive you to the hospital and make sure nothing goes wrong. With Jax gone and the boys with Sonny, I'll assign a guard to stay close to you to help with whatever you need, in addition to your regular guards outside the house," Jason told her. Although Carly looked like she would protest at first, she sighed and gave in.

"Alright," she told him. "But only because it makes you feel better."

"Thank you," Jason replied, smiling at her softly.

"Oh," Carly let out, shocked, as he raised a hand to brush her hair out of her face.

"What's wrong?" Jason asked anxiously.

"The baby kicked," she replied. "This kid is gonna be a soccer player, let me tell you."

Carly put her own hand where the baby kicked, and then reached for Jason's hand. She put it under her top, searching for the baby's movement.

"There we go," she said, as the baby moved under Carly and Jason's intertwined hands.

Jason was in awe, staring down at their hands on Carly's beautiful bump. The baby moved under his fingers again, and he fell in love with Carly all over again. Jason had to bite back the tears at the knowledge that this amazing little miracle wasn't his.

"See, my baby knows his hero already," Carly told him, teasingly.

"Yes you do, you smart little boy. You know your hero, Uncle Jason. You're going to be named after him," she spoke down to her bump. The baby kicked again, as if understanding his mother.

"How do you know it's a boy?" Jason asked her softly as he stared down at the beautiful face of the woman he denied being in love with for the past ten years. He knew that Carly said she didn't want Dr. Lee to tell her the gender of the baby; she wanted it to be a surprise.

"I just know," Carly said stubbornly. "Jason Jasper Jacks. I have a name picked out and everything. I get to name the baby if it's a boy; Jax's get the privilege if it's a girl."

"I hope you're right," he told her seriously. "You deserve the world. Anything you want should be yours."

Carly swallowed at his words. She refused to point out to him that she didn't want the world, she wanted him. But Carly had given up when she realized Jason couldn't give her what she wanted, what she needed. The baby changed everything.

"Jax thinks so too," she settled for reminding him.

Jason managed to repress his scowl. He never did like her husband, but he would support Carly no matter what. And he knew Jax loved her.

"Okay, Carly," Jason changed the topic. "You have to go home and take a nap now. Max!" he called to the guard outside his door.

"Yea, boss?" Max questioned.

"Take Carly home. Stay with her until I send another guard," Jason ordered.

"Of course, boss," Max answered immediately. "Does Mr. Jacks know…?"

"Mr. Jacks is out of town," Jason cut him off. "I'm going to be staying with Carly until he gets back. When I'm not with her, I want an additional guard with her as her personal escort. I don't want her stressed or wanting for anything. Take care of it."

Max nodded, and he helped walk Carly to the door. He handled her gently, like she was fine porcelain. Jason closed his eyes for a moment and sighed before returning to his work. He knew his best friend was in good hands with Max.

After all, Max loved her.

'Just like almost every other man in Port Charles,' Jason reminded himself.

"Including you," he said to himself, as he remembered Carly's words from eight months ago.

"_Jason," Carly said tentatively, "I love him! I'm in love with him! I waited years for you to give us a chance. When you gave me away at my wedding to Jax, I finally began to give up on there ever being an 'us'. But I still love you. I will always love you. You're my best friend. My hero!"_

Jason would make sure that he lived up to her faith in him, no matter how painful it was to watch her build a life and a family with Jax.


	3. Panicking

Only Her Hero

Disclaimer: I do not own General Hospital. Carly and Jason are the property of ABC and Disney.

Summary: After ten years of waiting for him, Carly finally settles for him as only her hero. So when Jason changes his mind, will it be too late for her to give their love a chance? Carjax. Jarly.

A Couple Hours Later

Jason's cell phone rang just as he prepared to leave the office. Max started spurting words in a rush before he could even say hello.

"Boss! Mrs. C – Mrs. J," Max was babbling, and Jason could hear Carly in the background telling him to call her by her first name. "Her water just broke. We're on our way to the hospital…Shit! Carly, just hold on. Breathe!"

Max had to be panicking pretty bad if he was calling his boss's pretty ex-wife by her first name.

Poor guy – he didn't know he was signing up for "Carly duty" when he joined the organization.

Jason wasn't doing much better.

"Okay Max. Just calm down. You need to get Carly safely to the hospital. Are you driving, or is one of the other guards?" Jason asked, trying to keep a clear head. It wasn't every day his best friend went into labor, and he promised her nothing would go wrong this time.

"Dave – or Dan. Dan. He's driving. I'm just trying to get Mrs. C to calm down and breathe," Max said. It sounded like he needed to take his own advice.

"Tell her to count to ten," Jason responded. Carly must have heard, because Jason could hear her laughing in the background.

"Just give me the phone, Max," Jason could hear Carly tell the panicking bodyguard. She sounded surprisingly calm.

'Mood swings.' Jason wanted to roll his eyes.

"Hey Carly. How are you doing?" he asked her softly when she greeted him.

"Okay. Everything is going to be just fine. I mean…Jax isn't here, but I'm actually going to make it to the hospital without bleeding out first this time. I think. This guy's a pretty crazy driver," Carly was working herself into a panic the more she talked.

'So much for being calm,' Jason thought. He was surprisingly sarcastic in these situations – at least in his head. Defense mechanism.

"It's fine. All the men are trained. He wouldn't be there if he couldn't do his job," Jason soothed her. He trusted that the man knew he was dead if anything happened to Carly.

"Okay," Carly breathed out. She was taking even, measured breaths, trying to stay calm.

"Sonny has Michael and Morgan," she told him after she calmed down again. "But Mercedes is going to bring them to the hospital after she grabs my overnight bag and toiletries at home. I was actually prepared this time, Jase! I guess the third time really is the charm."

"That's good," Jason assured her. "I'm on my way to the hospital too. If I make it before you do, I'll be sure to tell Dr. Lee you're on your way."

"Okay, Jase. I'll…" Carly was cut off by screeching tires and the sound of a sickening crash.

"Carly! Carly!" Jason said in a panic. "Carly! Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah," she breathed out shakily. Jason had never heard a more beautiful sound in the world than her voice, letting him know she was okay.

That driver was a dead man walking.

"What happened?" he asked her anxiously. "Are you injured?"

"I'm f-fine," Carly tried to reassure him, but it was hard because she was close to panicking herself. "Two cars in front of us – big collision. We managed to stop in time. Just a little fender bender. We're all fine. Fine."

Jason didn't know who she was to convince – him or herself.

"Good. Okay, Carly. Calm down. You'll be alright. Where are you? I'm coming to pick you up," Jason told her.

"My hero," she teased him lightly, beginning to calm down.

She gave the cell phone back to Max, and he told Jason where they were. Jason trusted that Max would take care of her until he got there. He had to – Jason couldn't take any more surprises.

When Jason arrived, Carly was still in back seat of the limo. She was breathing heavily and trying to keep calm. The two cars in the intersection were totally demolished; Jason had a feeling there were fatalities.

'If Carly had been just one car ahead…' Jason couldn't complete that thought. The thought of a future in a world without Carly? It wouldn't be any kind of future at all – Carly was his world.

But Carly was right. Dan had managed to stop the car in time to avoid any serious damage – or injuries to his precious cargo inside. Jason ran directly to Carly after exiting his own limo.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" he asked her lightly, running his hands through her hair to calm her and reassure himself that she was there. She was safe, uninjured, and everything would be okay once he got her to General Hospital.

"Alright. A little stressed," Carly managed as she gave him a strained smile.

"You and Max are going to come in my limo with me to General Hospital. Dan," Jason bit out at the driver, "you're going to stay here until the police arrive. Just tell them what they need to know. Then you better come to General Hospital too. I'm stationing extra guards on Carly."

Dan managed to gulp out a submissive "yes, boss," under Jason's deadly blue glare.

Jason's eyes went soft again as he turned back to Carly. He scooped her up delicately, carrying her like a groom bringing his bride over the threshold.

It reminded him of that night so long ago, when Carly went into labor with Michael. But also of a dream he had not so long ago, where he and Carly got married and built a family. Together.

He managed to push that thought away.

Just barely.

Jason needed to focus on Carly now, focus on getting her the help that she needed to deliver the baby safely. He placed her gently in the back seat of the limo, holding onto her like she was spun glass. Max managed to clamber in opposite of where Carly and Jason were sitting, and Jason ordered his driver to take them to General Hospital.

'And there better not be any more interruptions,' went unsaid, because Jason knew the other man understood what was at stake.

"I know I say it a lot, Jase, but I really don't know what I would do without you. You're the most amazing best friend in the world," Carly told him sappily. He saw tears welling in her eyes, but he ignored them. Jason knew Carly was bound to be emotional right now – she was in labor, and her husband was hours away by plane on a business trip.

"You know I'd do anything for you, Carly," Jason told her matter-of-factly, as if there was no way to doubt that fact. For Carly and Jason, there probably wasn't.

She fell; he caught her. Whenever she became the damsel in distress, he became her fierce knight in black leather to slay the dragon, stop her from thinking of any crazy plans, and put her back on her feet. Even if he did have to return her to a prince afterwards.

So their fairytale was skewed. It worked for Carly and Jason – that's all that mattered. The rest of the world was inconsequential, as long as they had each other. For a while, anyway.

And maybe "a while" had to be enough. Maybe gently pushing Carly's bangs from her face, and wiping the sweat from her brow with a napkin from the limo's bar, and telling her to breathe and count to ten and hold on until they got to the hospital had to be enough.

Those few precious moments where Jason got to hold her hand, and pretend that he was her husband and she was having his baby (his, Jason's, not Jax, never Jax), maybe that had to be enough.

They had to squeeze an entire lifetime of what should-have-been into a couple of minutes; a couple of moments where Carly and Jason could just pretend that their lives hadn't veered so off track that they couldn't even recognize themselves anymore sometimes.

And Carly just kept breathing.

And Jason just kept wishing.

And Max just kept watching.

And then the limo pulled up to General Hospital, and Jason took a deep fortifying breathe to prepare himself to face the reality of a world where Carly already had two children that weren't his and another was on the way with a husband that wasn't him.

Jason gently picked up his best friend again, carrying her into the hospital.

Because it didn't matter that this baby she was delivering wasn't his. It didn't matter that the baby's father was almost halfway around the world.

In the end, all that mattered was that Carly needed his help, and he wasn't going to fail her. He would never fail her.

Because if Jason could only be hero, if he had to settle for that role with the woman he loved above all others, he was going to be the best hero he could possibly be.


	4. Labour

Only Her Hero

Disclaimer: I do not own General Hospital. Carly and Jason are the property of ABC and Disney.

Jason carried Carly into the hospital, cradling her gently to his chest.

"We need Dr. Lee. Tell her Carly Jacks has gone into labor," Jason ordered a nearby nurse. She scurried quickly to obey under his harsh glare and Max's menacing presence.

Other nurses flocked over to the pair, pushing over a bed. Jason gently deposited his best friend, but she refused to let him back away from her side. Carly grasped his hand tightly and locked her eyes with his beautiful baby blues.

"I need you," she told him earnestly, "I can't do this without you."

There was no place in the world Jason would rather be than right by her side.

"Carly," Dr. Kelly Lee said as she walked over to her patient, "When did you go into labor?"

Jason just stood by Carly's bedside as his best friend talked with her doctor. He honestly had no clue what they were talking about; it all seemed positive, so Jason did not concern himself with the details. He just held Carly's hand, pushed her hair out of her face, and told her to breathe.

"Everything is going to be all right," she told him, "you're here with me. I know you'll take care of me, Jase."

Carly's faith in Jason was unshakeable. He could do no wrong in her eyes, and she felt like she could do anything as long as he was by her side.

As they wheeled Carly into the delivery room, a nurse asked Jason if he was the father. When Carly told her "no" she tried to make him leave.

Dr. Lee winced; everybody who knew Carly knew that she was used to getting her way. If she didn't, there would be hell to pay.

Especially when she was in labor.

And even more so if it had anything to do with Jason Morgan.

Carly just leveled a glare at the nurse; a glare worthy of the man holding her hand.

"My husband and I donate a significant amount of money to this hospital every year," she told the nurse scathingly, "If I want my best friend, who by the way is **Jason Morgan**, to hold my hand while I give birth, I sure as hell better get it. You do **not** want to see the amount of trouble I will bring down on your head if you give him a hard time."

The nurse just gulped and apologized.

Jason was surprised that she hadn't soiled her scrubs.

So they hospital staff allowed Jason into the delivery room. He held Carly's hand while Dr. Lee directed her to breathe, and he soothingly whispered in her ear to keep her calm.

As Carly lightly laughed at something Jason said, the same nurse from before leaned over to talk to Nadine.

"Are we **sure** he isn't the father?" she asked the blonde nurse. Nadine just smiled when Leyla answered for her.

"I don't know them that well, but even I know that even if that child isn't Jason Morgan's biologically, it will be his in every way that counts. If that man just said the word, Carly Jacks would drop that rich husband of hers and do everything possible to create a family with him. And everyone knows that Mr. Morgan would give his life for Carly or any of her children," Leyla told the newcomer.

The story of "Carly and Jason" was one of the first that she heard after she arrived in Port Charles. Every newcomer always wanted to know where Carly and Jason's unbreakable bond came from; they always put each other first, even above the significant others that they supposedly loved.

And meanwhile, Jason just watched as the woman he loved struggled to bring another man's child into the world. She breathed and she sweated and she fought; Carly fought for this child like everything else she had to fight for in her life.

After an hour, Jason told Max to call Jax. The unspoken message between the two men was to tell Carly's husband that he better get on his private jet and fly to Port Charles.

Right now.

Or else.

After three hours, Jason had run out of fun, lighthearted times to tell Carly about. So he went back to the beginning, back to that very first night at Jake's. And then he went forward, glossing over all the details that he knew would upset Carly.

After six hours, Jason had run through the complete story of "Carly and Jason." So he started telling her about all the things he loved about her. Her devotion. Her loyalty. The way she never gave up on the people she loved, even when her back was against the wall. And then he talked about what a wonderful mother she was to Michael and Morgan, and how lucky this new baby would be to have her.

After nine hours, Jason was getting desperate. He could see how much pain Carly was in, and he had almost run out of things to tell her. Jason tried to keep calm; he had no idea why it was taking so long, and he was scared something was wrong.

But Jason hid his own fear, and he just continued to hold Carly's hand and tell her how much he loved her.

"Alright Carly," Dr. Lee told her patient, "you're sufficiently dilated. When I give the word, I want you to push."

Carly just nodded in response. She was ready for this baby to get out!

"Push!" Dr. Lee told her.

Carly grunted and grit her teeth and pushed. She pushed against the pain for the beautiful miracle she hoped was almost ready to enter the world.

"Okay, push!" Dr. Lee said again, and again, and again. Jason couldn't see what was happening down there; the nurses kept him by Carly's head. But Dr. Lee kept them updated. The head, the shoulders, and then…

A piercing wail. The child sure did have Carly's lungs.

"Do you want to cut the cord?" Dr. Lee asked him. It was a task usually reserved for the fathers, but Kelly thought that she could make an exception. The man had stayed by her patient's side for over nine hours, after all.

So Jason cut the cord, and Dr. Lee cleaned the baby up and announced to Carly that she had a beautiful baby boy.

"Congratulations, Carly," the doctor told her, "I know you wanted a boy. He's beautiful."

"Thanks," Carly replied weakly, "Jason Jasper J-Jacks…"

She managed to get the name out before Jason could see her face drain of blood. Carly got extremely pale, and her head dropped.

"W-what's wrong?" he asked the doctor.

"She's hemorrhaging!" Dr. Lee told the nurses. She started ordering them about, and then she turned to Jason.

"I'm sorry Mr. Morgan, but you're going to have to leave. The baby's fine; the nurses are going to take him to the nursery. But I have to concentrate on Carly right now," the doctor informed him.

"I-is she going to be alright?" Jason managed, refusing to let the nurses shepherd him out before he got an answer.

"She'll have a better chance if I can work on her without worrying about you," Dr. Lee guilted him, already preparing herself for surgery.

It was enough. Jason let the nurses lead him out of the room.

As the blinds fell down, shielding Carly from his view, Jason hit his knees and prayed. He had little room to bargain with God, so he just prayed and begged and hoped that the woman he loved would make it through.

Because Jason didn't know what he would do if she didn't.


	5. Arrival

Only Her Hero

Disclaimer: I do not own General Hospital. Carly and Jason are the property of ABC and Disney.

"Where's my wife?" Jasper Jacks asked as he walked through the hospital doors. Robin was the first familiar face he saw, so he stopped to ask the doctor if she knew where Carly was.

"Hey, Robin," Jax greeted. "I was in Hawaii when Max called. He said Carly went into labor?"

"Yeah, Jax," Robin confirmed hesitantly. "But there were some complications…"

"Complications? Is Carly alright? Is the baby alright?" Jason questions, his face pale with worry.

"The baby's fine. You have a healthy little baby boy. Carly named him Jason Jasper, of course," Robin said, joking quietly to try to relieve her friend's worry. "But Jax…Carly started hemorrhaging. Dr. Lee just started surgery now…"

"Be honest with me," Jax pleaded, "what are Carly's chances?"

"Dr. Lee is an excellent surgeon," Robin told him. "All we can do now is hope and pray."

Jax accepted Robin's evasion of his question. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know if the situation was hopeless, anyway.

"Can you show me where her room is?" Jax asked instead.

"You can wait just around the corner," Robin told him, "and your son is in the nursery. The nurses cleaned him up, so you can see him whenever you want."

Jax thanked Robin for the information, and decided to wait for news on Carly before he went to see his son. Jax wanted to share his son's first moments with his wife.

When Jax turned the corner, he immediately spotted Jason. The mob hitman was on his knees in the middle of the hallway, hands clasped together in prayer. Tears were streaming down his face unabashedly, and Jax could hear some of his mutterings.

"Please Lord…I know…I know that you don't owe me anything. I know that I don't always follow your rules, and neither does Carly. She may not be perfect, but she's a good person. She's a good mother. Just…give her the time to be a good mother to her newest little angel. Let her live. I would give…anything, sacrifice anything if you just…just let her live," Jason begged to himself quietly.

Jax knew that most people only hit their knees to the floor and prayed to gain attention. But Jason…Jason seemed as if he were praying for his world not to fall to pieces. He was unconcerned with any doctors or nurses that walked by. Jason only cared about the woman just passed those closed doors that was fighting for her life. And Jax knew…he knew that even if Carly made it through this surgery, he was going to lose her.

Because Jax realized that Jason had finally opened his eyes. Jason finally admitted that Carly was the most important thing in his life. Although Carly was Jax's wife, and the woman he loved, and the mother of his child, if Jason really set his mind to winning her love back, winning her back, Jax knew he didn't stand a chance. Because honestly…Jason had never really lost her.

Carly always held a part of herself back. Jax had always brushed it off as the part of her that was Caroline Benson, trailer-park trash from Florida, or maybe the part of her reserved for her children, or sometimes, when he was in a destructive mood, he would tell himself it was a part of her that she reserved for Sonny. But deep down, Jax knew the truth…Carly had given everything of herself to Jason. And through the years, she had gained bits and pieces back to give to other men…Sonny, Zander, Alcazar, and Jax himself. So it wasn't that Carly always held a part of herself back…it was that she was constantly fighting to get just the tiniest piece of her heart out of Jason's control.

And now that it seemed Jason was finally acknowledging what Carly meant to him, Jax thanked god that Carly had already given him a son. Because that child would link him to a wonderful woman for the rest of his life. And it might not be the marriage, might not be the growing old together that he imagined in his dreams…but it was something. And it would have to be enough, because once Jason set his mind to it, he would be more than Carly's hero…he would be her everything.


	6. Twins

Only Her Hero

Disclaimer: I do not own General Hospital. Carly and Jason are the property of ABC and Disney.

Jason prayed in that hallway for what seemed like hours to Max. His boss was dead to the outside world, focused only on Carly and her survival. Max took care of things for Jason while they waited for news of Carly's condition.

Max called Sonny to let him know what happened, and he told him to keep Michael and Morgan with him until they had more news on Carly. Max also called Bobbie, and he told her to spread the news that Carly delivered a healthy baby boy, but was suffering some complications. And when Jasper Jax arrived, Max went over to talk to the man and keep him away from Jason.

"Jax," Max greeted the man.

Jax just nodded at the guard in return.

"Carly…Carly will be just fine," Max tried to assure him, using Carly's name for once. It was ironic – Carly always told him to greet her casually, and the one time he does she's not around to hear him.

"She's a fighter," Jax agreed quietly. "She won't leave her boys."

"Have you seen your son yet?" Max questioned, trying to distract the man from his wife's condition.

Max knew he could not comfort Jason right now – his boss was too far gone and did not want to deal with anything but his own thoughts and prayers. But Max believed that Carly would appreciate Max's efforts at soothing Jax, and keeping him from pestering Jason.

The last thing she would want was her best friend and her husband fighting outside her hospital room.

Probably because her husband might end up dead and her best friend in jail if Jax confronted Jason right now.

"I'm waiting for Carly," Jax finally responded to Max's question.

The two men fell silent then, lost in their own thoughts just as Jason was. Jason eventually picked himself up off the floor, and he had taken to pacing back and forth in front of Carly's door.

Bobbie and Lulu soon arrived, worried for Carly and unable to stay away. Spinelli followed a short while later, hoping to provide assurance to Stone Cold that the Valkyrie would prevail. But Spinelli could not find the words faced with a distraught Jason, and instead held Lulu's hand as they all waited together for a doctor.

Sonny called every once in a while, wanting to see if there was any change.

For over four hours, there wasn't.

Dr. Lee finally exited Carly's room. She had scrubbed out, and had an unreadable expression on her face. When Jason spotted her, he practically cornered her and demanded information.

"Mr. Jacks, is it all right if..?" Dr. Lee asked her patient's husband, deciding to follow protocol and not disclose Carly's medical confidentiality unless Jax approved.

"It's fine," Jax said, just wanted to hear if his wife was alright.

"The good news is we stopped the bleeding, and Carly made it through surgery," Dr. Lee said. "Unfortunately…"

"Unfortunately what?" Lulu cut her off. "Just say it! We've been waiting for hours!"

"There was another baby that we did not see in any of the sonograms. Carly passed out immediately giving birth to the first, so we had to perform an emergency cesarean. The second baby, a girl, is alive but quite small. We do not know if she will make it through the night," Dr. Lee informed them sadly.

Jax sucked in a breath. A second baby?

"I…what's wrong with her?" he managed to ask.

"Both of her lungs have not yet inflated, and she is not able to breathe on her own yet. We have her hooked up to a machine that breathes for her. Also, she was not delivered in a timely fashion, so if she does survive…there may be other problems," the doctor told them.

"Problems?" Jax asked.

"Mental. Developmental. There may also be something wrong with her heart, but at this stage it is hard to tell for sure," Dr. Lee said.

"May I see her?" Jax questioned, and even he was unsure whether he meant his wife or his newborn baby daughter.

"Carly should wake up within the next few hours, barring any further complications," Dr. Lee told him. "You can see your wife whenever you want. She may also have other visitors, but only one in her room at a time. Mr. Jacks, you may also see your daughter at any time you want. She's in neo-natal ICU."

Jax thanked Dr. Lee for her help. He was torn whether to go to Carly or his baby girl, but one look at Jason gave him the answer.

Jason would take care of Carly, and Carly would be there for Jax to see later. His little girl…they weren't sure how much time she had left. Dr. Lee said her chances would improve considerably if she made it through the night, and all that was left to do for her was pray and wait.

Quite like they had all been doing for the past five hours now.

"I'm going to see the baby," Jax told Jason quietly. "You're welcome to go in to see Carly first. I know she'd be happy to see you."

Jason almost snapped at the man that Jax couldn't stop him from seeing Carly first, but he managed to hold his tongue. He knew that Carly's husband was just talking to fill the silence. So Jason just nodded, and told him to go see to baby Jessica.

"Jessica?" Jax questioned.

"Jessica Jane," Jason replied. "That's what Carly wanted to name her baby if she had a girl."

Jax nodded, knowing Jason was right. That was the name that he and Carly had agreed on for a girl.

"I know," Jax responded. "But I'm not going to fill out the birth certificate until Carly wakes up, just in case she changed her mind."

Jason chuckled softly, glad for the break in tension.

"That's probably a good idea," he agreed softly.

With that, the men went their separate ways. Jason went into Carly's post-op room, and Jax headed towards neo-natal ICU. Max guarded Carly's door, standing silent vigil over his boss and the woman that held many hearts.

And Bobbie, Lulu, and Spinelli headed towards the nursery, hoping to catch their first glimpse of baby Jason Jasper. They were relieved that Carly was going to be alright, and worried about the new baby, but they decided to focus their energy on cooing over the newest healthy member of the family.

Bobbie also remembered to call Sonny, telling him that Carly made it through the surgery. She told him to bring Michael and Morgan as soon as he could to meet their little brother. And Bobbie also informed him sadly that their little sister may not make it through the night.

Jane Jax received a call from her younger son some time later, telling her that she had two new grandchildren to welcome into the world. She jumped on the first plane to New York – hoping that she would make it in time to meet the younger one.

And Jax also called his older brother Jerry, informing him that he was now an uncle.

While news traveled about Carly and her two newest babies, Jason just sat silently next to her bed. He thanked God that Carly had pulled through, and he hoped that her daughter would do the same.

Because he knew Carly would break if her baby girl didn't.


	7. Awake

Only Her Hero

Disclaimer: I do not own General Hospital. Carly and Jason are the property of ABC and Disney.

"Jase?" Carly croaked out as her eyes finally fluttered open.

"Hey Carly," Jason responded tenderly, gently pushing some of her hair out of her face. "How are you feeling?"

"Like you're going to have to track down and kill whoever ran me over with that bus," she told him with a small smile. "Where's my baby?"

Jason was silent for a moment.

"Jason?" Carly prompted, starting to get nervous. "Is my baby all right?"

"Jason's fine," he told her softly. "But…"

Carly's blue eyes closed in relief when she heard her baby was okay.

"But there was another baby, Carly," Jason managed to tell her.

"Another? Was?" Carly asked confused. "What…what happened?"

"A little girl," Jason informed her. "Dr. Lee had to perform an emergency c-section because you passed out. Jax hasn't filled out the birth certificate yet, but I told him that if the baby was a girl you wanted to name her Jessica Jane."

"A girl," Carly said with a smile and a far away look in her eye. "Can you get a doctor or a nurse, Jase? I want to know how soon I can get out of this hospital bed and see my babies."

"Carly…" Jason trailed off, unsure how to tell her about her baby girl.

Carly just looked at him with those trusting eyes.

"Jessica…she's really small. And there were some complications…" Jason told her.

"Complications?" Carly questioned, panicked.

Jason knew he couldn't sugar coat it for her – Carly needed to know the truth.

"The doctors aren't sure if she'll make it, Carly," Jason informed her sadly, holding onto her as she fell apart.

Carly was still crying into Jason's shirt when Dr. Lee came in a short while later.

"Mr. Morgan, you should have gotten me as soon as she woke up," the doctor admonished him.

Jason just gave her a look. Carly was more important.

Dr. Lee just sighed, knowing that he wouldn't apologize.

"I'm just glad you're up," Dr. Lee told Carly as her patient wiped away her tears.

Carly gave her doctor a watery smile as she tried to compose herself.

"When can I see my babies?" she asked simply.

"Jason is a healthy baby – I'll have one of the nurses bring him to you in a moment. It's up to you whether you nurse or not. But Jessica is in a tight spot right now. Her chances will greatly improve if she makes it through the night, but right now she can't be moved," Dr. Lee informed Carly sadly. "I can have an orderly wheel you over to neo-natal ICU if you want to see her."

Carly nodded at the offer.

"I need to see her," she told both Dr. Lee and Jason. "I just…if she doesn't make it…I need to see her at least once."

"If she's anything like her mother, she's a fighter," Jason reassured his best friend. "Your baby girl won't give up. Not for anything."

Carly smiled at his words, knowing he believed them. Jason had faith in Carly, and he had faith in her children.

"Thank you," she told him softly.

"You're welcome," Jason responded. "But you don't have to thank me for anything."

Carly shook her head at her best friend. She did have to thank him – for getting her to the hospital and for staying with her during her labor, for always being there and always believing in her, and for loving her.

Carly would always be grateful that Jason loved her and her children. But now wasn't the time to get into that conversation with her best friend – not with her doctor in the room, and her baby girl fighting for her life.

"I want to nurse," Carly informed Dr. Lee as she turned away from her best friend, giving his hand a squeeze. He was always there to comfort her when she needed him…

"That's good," Dr. Lee smiled. "It's good for the baby, and it's good for the mother. Helps you shed those pregnancy pounds."

Dr. Lee tried to lighten the mood, but Carly wanted to stay serious.

"Can…can I see my baby girl first?" Carly asked. "I want to see Jason too, of course…but he'll be there later."

Carly wanted to cry again at the thought of losing one of her children.

"I'll have one of the orderlies bring you there now," Dr. Lee promised as she left the room.

"She'll be okay, right Jase?" Carly turned back to her best friend.

Jason didn't want to lie to her, so he just took Carly back into his arms and let her cry some more.

Meanwhile, Jax was in the neo-natal ICU just watching his baby girl. Just watching her as the machines breathed for her, and she struggled for her life.

"She's a fighter, just like her mom," his brother Jerry said as he walked into the room.

"I hope so," Jax responded softly, never taking his eyes off his baby girl.

"What are you going to name her?" Jerry asked him quietly.

"Carly and I said we were going to name the baby Jessica Jane if she was a girl," Jax informed him with a small smile. "But…I just want to wait until Carly wakes up to make sure she hasn't changed her mind. I don't want to do anything without her."

"It's a beautiful name," Jerry told him. "And Lady Jane would be proud to have your daughter share her name."

"Yeah," Jax responded, his gaze still locked on his little miracle fighting behind all those machines.

"I'm sure Carly would understand you not wanting to waste a second with your daughter," Jerry told him, about to encourage Jax to get closer to his baby girl.

Before Jax could respond, Claudius wheeled Carly into the room, Jason at her side.

"Hey," Carly said softly, her eyes on Jax for a split second before going to her baby girl hooked up to all those beeping machines.

God…it reminded her of Michael when he was just born.

"Hey," Jax responded softly, taking his eyes off Jessica for a split second to look at his wife. "I didn't know you were up yet."

"I just woke up," she informed him, her gaze never wavering. "Can I…can we touch her?"

Jax closed his eyes for a second at the pain in his wife's voice.

"Yeah, the doctor's said it was all right as long as we didn't move her," Jax said.

"Do you want to?" Jason asked her softly, encouragingly.

Meanwhile, he gave Claudius a look, dismissing him. Jason would take care of Carly from here.

"M-maybe…yeah," Carly told him, indecisive. "Yes, I want to touch my baby."

Jason wheeled Carly towards her youngest child, ignoring the two brothers. Carly and her child were the only ones who mattered right now…

"Are we…are we going to name her Jessica Jane like we said?" Jax asked his wife as she reached down to stroke their baby girl's soft cheek.

She was so fragile…

"Yeah," Carly told him. "I want…I want to fill out the birth certificate as soon as possible. If she…if she doesn't make it, I want her to go with a name. A beautiful name that we gave her, so she knows just how much she was loved."

"She knows, Carly. She knows," Jason reassured her.

"Jase?" Carly asked him quietly. "Can you…can you and Jerry step outside for a little while and leave me and Jax alone with Jessica. Maybe…maybe get a nurse so we can fill out the birth certificate?"

Jason nodded his agreement, despite being pained that Carly was sending him away to be alone with Jax and her child. Their child…

Jason kissed her softly on the head before leaving with Jerry. He would do as she asked.

Because Carly and her children were all that mattered right now.


End file.
